Natural form
Whole walnuts in their shells showing the distinctive ridged, brain-like exterior.
Shows the most recognizable form a shopper encounters — the hard, wrinkled shell that identifies walnut before any processing.
Nuts
Walnut
Rich, slightly bitter nut for baking, salads, and cheese boards
Earthy and a touch bitter, walnuts fold into brownies and banana bread, crown a salad, and pair beautifully with blue cheese. Toast to deepen them. Keep them airtight, cool.
Walnuts are the brainy-looking nut prized for their rich, buttery flavor with a distinctive slight bitterness and earthy edge that sets them apart from sweeter nuts. That bitterness lives mostly in the papery skin (the pellicle), and it's actually a feature — it gives walnuts their savory complexity in everything from a salad to a Persian stew (fesenjan) to a sauce. They're soft enough to chop without effort and toast quickly to a deeper, mellower richness. Nutritionally they're notable as one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, but those same delicate oils make walnuts among the fastest nuts to go rancid — a stale, bitter walnut is a common and unpleasant kitchen surprise, so freshness and cool storage matter more here than with most nuts. Indispensable in baking, banana bread, brownies, and pesto.
- Measured in
- g
- Storage
- Airtight
Allergens
Find it in
Types & varieties
The common shop walnut — milder, easy to crack, all-purpose.
Bolder, earthier, more intense; harder shell, prized in American baking.
Halves for garnish, pieces for baking and chopping.
How to toast & tame bitterness
Toasting rounds out walnuts' bitterness into warm richness; a brief soak (or even a quick blanch) can mellow the tannic skin further if a recipe needs it gentle.
- Toast in a dry pan or 350°F (175°C) oven 8–10 min until fragrant
- Watch them — walnuts can turn from rich to acridly bitter when overdone
- Soak briefly to soften the tannic skin's bitterness for delicate dishes
- Rub toasted walnuts in a towel to shed some loose, bitter skin
How to store
Walnuts are the most perishable common nut because their high omega-3 oils oxidize fast. Buy in amounts you'll use, keep them cold, and always taste before adding.
- Refrigerate or freeze for months; room temp lasts only weeks
- Keep airtight and away from light and heat
- Taste one before using — rancid walnuts taste sharply bitter and oily
- Buy whole or halves and chop as needed; chopped goes off fastest
Common uses
Tips & pitfalls
- Always taste a walnut before cooking — rancid ones are common and ruin a dish.
- Toast to turn the bitterness into warm, mellow richness.
- Keep walnuts in the fridge or freezer; their omega-3 oils spoil fast at room temp.
- Rub off some skin after toasting to reduce bitterness in delicate recipes.
- Their earthy bite shines in both sweet baking and savory sauces and stews.
Nutrition
Energy
3699 kJ · per 100 g
Where the calories come from
Protein
0g
0% DV
Carbs
0g
0% DV
Fat
100g
128% DV
Fiber
0g
0% DV
Sugars
0g
of which
Sodium
0mg
0% DV
Source · USDA FoodData Central · approx. Oil, walnut
View on FDC →In the shops
Matched grocery products
€2.75Raw Walnuts
LLUENA · kg · Bonpreu
€3.70Natural Walnut
Hacendado · 600 g · Mercadona
€3.45Walnuts in Shell
LA NOGUERA · kg · Bonpreu
€1.99Raw Shelled Walnuts
BONPREU · kg · Bonpreu
€3.75Raw Shelled Walnuts
BONPREU · kg · Bonpreu
€0.60Walnuts in Shell Km0
ud · Bonpreu
Good to know
- Flavor & texture
- Rich, buttery, earthy with a slight bitter edge; soft, easy to chop
- How to toast
- Dry pan or 350°F (175°C) oven 8–10 min until fragrant
- Soak?
- Optional — a soak mellows the bitterness; toasting deepens flavor
- Nutrition
- ~654 kcal/100g; ~15g protein, ~6.7g fiber; top plant source of omega-3 (ALA)
- How to store
- Airtight, cool — the delicate oils mean refrigerate/freeze for best life (months vs weeks at room temp)
Substitutes
- Pecans — Sweeter and less bitter; the easiest baking swap.
- Hazelnuts — Richer and sweeter for cakes and pralines.
- Almonds — Milder and crunchier for toppings and salads.
Pairs with
Also called
nuez
Appears in these dishes
Related
Almond
Crunchy, sweet nut for snacking, baking, and toppings
Cashew
Buttery, creamy nut for snacking, stir-fries, and sauces
Pecan
Sweet, buttery nut for pies, candying, and salads
Pistachio
Vivid green nut for snacking, baking, and garnishing
Hazelnut
Sweet, aromatic nut for chocolate pairings and baking
Chestnut
Starchy, sweet tree nut roasted, boiled, or pureed for stuffings and desserts.
Pine Nut
Soft, buttery seed of the pine that toasts to a sweet resinous richness; the backbone of pesto, scattered over salads, pilafs, and roasted vegetables.
Macadamia Nut
Rich, buttery, very high-fat nut with a tender crunch; toasted for salads and desserts, ground into creamy sauces, or used raw to make smooth plant-based cheeses.